seabtjry



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOS. S. SEABURY, OF STONY BROOK, NE,T YORK, ASSIGNOR TO R. B. GORSUCH,OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

PIANOFORTE-ACTION.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 25,919, dated October 25, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS S. SEABURY, of Stony Brook, in the county otSutlolk and State of New York, have invented a new and ImprovedPianoforte-Action; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-Figures l and 2 are side views of my action, Fig. l exhibiting it atrest, and Fig. 2, as being checked after the hammer has struck andfallen away from the string.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in bothfigures.

The principal object of my invention is to allow each or any one of thehammers of a piano-forte action and all the moving parts pertaining toit to be removed from the instrument along with its respective key forthe purpose or' examination, adjustment or repair of the parts withoutdisturbing any of the other keys or hammers or other parts of theaction.

Vith this end in view, the nature of my invention consists in pivotingthe hammer butt to a post or its equivalent that is carried by the key;also in a certain mode ot applying and effecting the operation of a ackor iy-lever through which the blow ot the hammer is produced, and in acertain mode of applying the check.

T o enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

The key A, is applied in the usual manner to work on an upright pin c..At a suitable distance behind the pin a, there is erected upon the key,the post O, to which the butt 5 of the hammer D, is pivoted by a pin c.The hammer is represented as being arranged with its head toward therear of the key, but this position might be reversed, such reversal,however, involving the necessity ot' reversing the positions of theother operating parts of the action. The butt b, is extended somedistance in front of the post C, to receive a pivot d, by which what maybe termed a suspended jack or more properly a iy-lever E, is attached t0it. This fly-lever passes through a slot z', provided for it in the key,and extends some distance below the key and is provided below the key inits front side, with a notch e, which operates in combination with thelower front edge of a stationary rail F, to produce the blow ot thehammer when the key is struck or depressed at its front end, as will bepresently described. A spring 7L, is applied within the slot z', infront of the fly-lever, to press the latter toward the said rail F. Thesaid rail F, extends the whole width of' the action, that is to say,under all the keys. Its operating edge is covered with leather, and sothe back ot the notch is faced with felt. The regulating screw G, screwsobliquely through the fly-lever E, and acts in combination with aninclined plane f, formed on the back of the post C. The check consistsof a small block H, attached to the bottom of the key in front of theflylever, and having its back beveled or curved to lit a correspondingbeveled or curved tace g, formed in the front of the lower part of theily-lever. The check is faced with cloth or leather. The hammer restconsists ot a block I, secured upon the top of the key.

The operation ot' the action is as follows: liVhen the front end of thekey is struck or depressed by the player the part in rear of the pin a,rises, but as the fly-lever is prevented rising by its notch catchingunder the rail F, it holds down the front portion et the hammer butt,wnile the post C, and pivot c, rise, and the hammer head is thrownsharply upward against the string. As the hammer completes its stroke,the y-lever is pushed from the rail F, by the wedge like action orl thetace j', ot the post C, on the regulating screw G, and the hammerliberated, but before the latter can tall farther than is necessary tofree itselt' Jtrom the spring, the inclined Jface g, ot' the fly-levercomes in contact with the check H, and hence its further descent isprevented; but it is only necessary to permit the front end of the keyto rise a very little way, for the notch ot the fly-lever to slip underthe rail F, again, and bring the action to a condition for repeating theblow of the hammer.

To remove a key with its respective hammer, and the working partspertaining thereto from the piano-forte, it is only necessary to takeout the part ot the case commonly known as the name-board, and to raisethe key at the front end high enough to permit it to pass over the pina, and then to draw it forward, when it brings with it the hammer, thefly-lever, the check and the hammer rest.

This action besides enabling each or any one of the hammers and all themoving parts pertaining to the hammer and key to be Withdrawn from theinstrument along With the key, possesses several advantages over most ofthe actions in common use, viz: First, it is capable of repeating Withgreater facility; second, it is of more simple construction; third, theforce applied to the key is transmitted in a more direct manner to thehammer; fourth, it has a more eX- pressive touch; fifth, the hammer iseffectually prevented sticking up in case of dampness and swelling ofthe parts; and sixth, the inconvenience arising from what is called inthe French action, short jacks, is entirely obviated.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. Pivoting the hammer butt to a post, or its equivalent, carried by itsrespective key, substantially as herein specied, for the pur pose ofenabling it to be Withdrawn from the instrument along With the key.

2. The suspended jack or fly-lever E, at-

tached to the hammer butt, and rovided With a notch e, operating in comination With a stationary rail F, substantially as herein described.

3. The arrangement of the regulating screvv in the suspended jack orfly-lever in combination With the inclined plane f, on the post erectedupon the key to carry the hammer, substantially as herein described; butI Wish to be understood as not claiming generally either the placing ofthe regulating screw in the jack, or the employment of an inclined planeor Wedge to act in combination With an inclined or Wedgedike surface.

4. The check H, applied to the bottom of the key and operating incombination With the suspended jack or Hy-lever, substantially as hereindescribed.

THOS. S. SEABURY.

Witnesses:

S. A. MOUNT, WM. S. MOUNT.

